With technology constantly transforming and evolving, many industries are beginning to adapt and utilize these technologies to produce efficiency for both consumers and brands. One industry in particular, the fashion industry, has adopted new technological developments and methods to modernize the style of fashion brands and enhance general growth.
Fashion brands are implementing new technological advancements to enhance consumers’ shopping experiences and developing new techniques to maximize profit and production.
Whether fashion brands are adding new virtual try-on options for customers or implementing payment methods through E-commerce, the fashion industry is gradually revitalizing to align with the current pace of technological change.
However, there remains a large disparity between the methods that luxury and haute couture brands have adopted, as opposed to the fast fashion companies. Especially as fast fashion companies face a lot more competition, and with the ever-changing pace of “microtrends,” utilizing technology efficiently and strategically is vital in ensuring that these brands maintain their competitive stances.
Thus, these technological advancements have enhanced the growth of many fashion brands while simultaneously modernizing the industry, ultimately making it vital that brands continue to adapt to modern technology.
What is fashion technology?
Fashion technology is the use of technological advancements to increase efficiency and implement innovation in fashion design. So far, many renowned fashion brands have begun to take advantage of technological evolution through the use of digital clothing and avatars and have applied technology to their collections.
Technological fashion: Let’s talk about AI
One of the primary fashion technologies is artificial intelligence, which has been utilized not only to enhance consumers’ shopping experiences and increase profit but also to boost the creative process of design.
AI for design
Furthermore, many brands have begun to utilize generative AI to help design clothing and analyze current clothing trends in order to produce and manufacture clothing that will appeal more to consumers.
For instance, back in March 2023, the renowned brand G-Star Raw designed its first piece of denim couture using AI: the AI Denim Cape. By relying on an AI-generated image of the cape, the designers behind this process were able to figure out how to manifest the layers and patterns on the cape and incorporate a sense of futuristic innovation in their pieces.
“We wanted to experiment with new techniques and explore the potential of AI in fashion design,” said the G-Star Raw design team in an online statement regarding the brand’s new piece. “This whole process has demonstrated the potential of AI in fashion design and the ongoing evolution of the fashion industry.”
In 2023, Adobe came out with its Primrose dress, ultimately setting a precedent for more AI-designed and inspired clothing. Thus, this past New York Fashion Week, Adobe collaborated with the brand Christian Cowan to debut a dress designed solely through Adobe Primrose technology. Furthermore, this dress has layers of shapes that transform from petals to stars through computational mapping, which was possible through innovative features like Adobe Illustrator and After Effects.
AI for data analysis
Brands are also utilizing AI to analyze data and trends. Chateauz is a brand that creates and constructs innovative products and experiences through spatial computing and XR technologies to facilitate the growth of different enterprises and brands.
Mel Lim, the founder and CEO of Chateauz, aims to influence and encourage brands to develop immersive experiences for their consumers. For instance, Chateauz developed an AI concierge, enabling brands to create a tone or voice that represents and entails their image while simultaneously allowing users to gain knowledge about a specific service or product when using this feature.
Lim feels as though AI has helped her and her team explore different forms of data and analytics and present those results to their brand clients, ultimately allowing and guiding them to make deliberate and informed decisions.
“The ideation process has shrunk so much, as have the cost savings. We want to give that to…the brands and enterprises, and that’s why we’re doing it at a 100 times cost savings and 10 times speed of production,” said Lim at the 10th Worldwide Talk Panel for FASHINNOVATION. “We’re not an agency, we’re a tech company.”
Technological Fashion: Augmented Reality and Shopping Experience
Fashion brands have also implemented virtual try-on features through augmented reality to enhance their consumers’ shopping experiences and increase engagement. The luxury retailer Farfetch, has incorporated this option to allow consumers and engagers to virtually try on sneakers, accessories, and apparel.
With this new feature, customers can style different accessories and apparel and see how certain pieces look on them from the comfort of their own homes. Convenience and efficiency are large factors that solidify the ideal shopping experience, and thus, a virtual try-on feature helps fulfill that preference for consumers.
To enhance customers’ shopping experience, Reformation implemented its own “magic wardrobe,” which allows customers to order their clothes to the fitting room, change the room lighting, and even play music. This “magic wardrobe” is controlled through an iPad display in each dressing room, ultimately showcasing the implementation of modern technology for shopping experiences in stores.
Fashion technology does not solely entail technological advancements. It also involves the process of discerning and developing new sustainable methods in garment production and ensuring that sustainable materials are being utilized.
Technological fashion and sustainability
Technology allows fashion brands to discover and research sustainable content, such as biodegradable textiles, organic and recycled cotton, and plant-based fibers, that will make garment production more environmentally conscious.
Especially as garment production generates nearly 10% of greenhouse gas emissions, it becomes vital that the fashion industry adopts technological methods to achieve sustainability and create a platform for more environmentally conscious brands.
As a result, it becomes crucial that fashion companies implement sustainable practices when designing and manufacturing their clothing collections. Currently, with the presence of transforming “microtrends,” people are more inclined to purchase large amounts of trendy clothing at cheaper prices, ultimately imposing several environmental risks, like an increase in CO2 emissions and water pollution.
In order to lessen the environmental effects of garment production, the prevalent agency, the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, ensures that the UN actively works together to advance projects and policies that fulfill the standards of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. These goals address the global agreement and partnership in working towards refining health and education, lessening rates of inequality, and facilitating economic growth while simultaneously recognizing oceanic and wilderness preservation and climate change.
Additionally, the Alliance addresses issues pertaining not only to the manufacturing process of apparel, accessories, and footwear but also to the allocation, consumption, and discarding of these products.
Technological enhancements, like generative AI and augmented reality, have facilitated the flourishing of many brands within the fashion industry. These benefits will only continue to rise as more brands participate.
With the rapid evolution of technology, it becomes essential that brands act on implementing technological advancements, especially the ones that are most efficient and strategic for consumerism.
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